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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Another Day another Beta Build

Well it's another day passed and so there's yet another new beta build. I did say things would start happening fast right? Details here after the break and some of the things I've learned and experienced on the beta so far.Getting right into the changes first we have here from beta build 15657! (from mmo-champion)

Uplift now increases the duration of all your Renewing Mists by 6 sec instead of refreshing it.

Some interesting changes here. Spinning Crane kick not costing chi is nice. We can use that as ae spam so we don't have to stop and build chi between each one or build up a lot to do it multiple times. Swift Reflexes is nice, an automatic riposte mechanic similar to the spikes on shields. Jab and Expel Harm will grant 2 Chi while in Tiger Stance all the time. This greatly increases the rate that Windwalker Monks will be generating Chi. They buffed 2 talents while nerfing Zen Sphere so it's not spammable on everyone. In the Brewmaster Mastery it's base is 4% not whatever 50% of SP is. Standing here on beta that gives me a 7.9% extra chance in this questing Windwalker gear (1833 mastery). Uplift saw a nerf in its refreshing of Renewing Mists, meaning to keep up Renewing Mists we'd have to Uplift every 6 seconds. Obviously a bit harder to do but you could still manage to keep up all your Renewing Mists with Uplift.

And now since my Hearth just went on cooldown but failed to take me anywhere I shall continue to write about what I've experienced thus far. I am on Lost Isles. My pre-made monk who is now 86 is named Shuhei. He has a Windwalker and Brewmaster spec at the moment. My other monk is one I'm leveling fresh and is named Aily (after my EQ monk). She is level 29 and is leveling as a Mistweaver. I thought it would be different leveling as the healing spec. [Feel free to find me and ask me to do stuff!]

So anyway, on Shuhei as I've done a bunch of questing and just two dungeons I've noticed a few things. Mostly about what seems to be the priority of abilities. This is what I'm seeing of it, and now, I may be wrong, I haven't seen any math or anything but this is just how I'm seeing it right now.

Touch of Death (mob health < your health)

Rising Sun Kick (both for the damage it does and the +10% damage debuff it gives)

Mastery procs: Tiger Palm >50% or Blackout Kick <50%

Tiger Palm > 50% || Blackout Kick <50%

Mastery Procs: Tiger Palm <50% or Blackout Kick >50%

Jab (For Chi)

The only thing I haven't really tried out is the use of Fists of Fury. To leave that as AE cone situations or to insert that into the priority system. I honestly haven't tried either way or tried to do any math on it. Although if I'm reading it right at the moment it would go right after Touch of Death. Seems doable right? Well, it is still a work in progress after all. Edit: World of Monkcraft has some Napkin Math on the subject.

As for leveling as a Mistweaver? It's not so bad actually. Chi wave is actually decently strong, and with the "Atonement" 50% healing for damage done built right into Serpent Stance it's very hard to die. I just run in and Jab or Chi Wave and then jab/palm/kick as the windwalkers do and maybe a second wave if I really have to. Before Chi Wave (18) you would be better off in Tiger Stance and pretending you're a Windwalker. I just did a Scarlet Halls the other day healing as well. That, I actually found difficult. All I have still as of level 29 for healing is Chi Wave and Soothing Mists. As buggy as the Houndmaster fight was, it would have been a LOT easier if I had some kind of controllable AE healing ability. Everyone having the physical dots on them from the dogs was just so hard to keep up with. The only thing you can really do is to get a couple clicks of Soothing Mists, change target, and cast again and start Chi Wave off as a heal. Since Chi Wave has 5 hits it's going to have 3 of one type and 2 of the other. For example if you start Chi Wave as a heal:

Though I could just not be paying attention and it bounces 5 times AFTER the initial. I'll look a little harder next time. I saved the premade int leather in the bank so I might just hit Stormwind and respec Shuhei into Mistweaver to try it out in a higher level situation. (Much more likely if I get some friends to go with me to be more forgiving.)

So That's what I got so far, nothing life changing. Just some fun beta testing time. I'd love to hear about any experiences you've had, what you think of the monk and any ideas. Let me know here or @SINisterWyvern on twitter